SAN FRANCISCO MAIL NEWS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 31 January 1903, Page 4

SAN FRANCISCO MAIL NEWS.

Successful Cable Tests.

(Per s.s. Sonoma at Auokland.

During the night of January Ist San Francisco was sending messages to and receiving answers from Honolulu. The ship Silvertown encountered severe storms on the trip down, but was very successful in laying the cable. As soon as the connections with the land cable were completed messages from Governor Dole were forwarded. The Goversor sent the greetings of the islanders to President Boosevelt, and the message was acknowledged at ihe Executive Mansion Washington exactly thirteen minutes afcer leaving Honolulu. The distance traversed during that time was more than 2600 miles under the sea, and more than 3000 over mountains, plains, and broad rivers. Mr Harrington, superintendent at San Francisco, stated that it was very rare for instruments to work so perfectly at the first trial, as they usually required some adjusting. The messages from Honolulu told of the gratification:of all the people of the island because of the connection with the mainland. The Hawaaians forgot their pride in romantic isolation, and rejoiced at the opening of new possibilities for commercial and industrial development. A Gigantic Railway Undertaking. Mr It. L. Hemingway, of Montreal, who is interested in the proposed extea sion of the Grand Trunk Riilway across Canada, is visiting California. Regarding the projected enterprise, he said ;—'The vice-president and general manager of the Grand Trunk will have much to say in tho councils of the new company, which is to construct an extension costing fully one hundred million dollars, and taking five years to build. In a general way it can be stated that the route of the new road will be two hundred miles north of the Canadian-Pacific, and will traverse the provinces and districts of Ontario, Keewatin, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Athabaska and British Columbia. Numerous surveying parties are already in the field, and there is no question as to the final successful outcome of this {great undertaking. The general manager figures out that the new road will reduce the travelling distance from Yokohama to Liverpool fifteen hundred miles. The Grand Trunk and its Pacific Coast extension will build steamships to run in connection with it on both [the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

A Dash for the Pole A [despatch from Winnipeg (Man.\ dated January 3rd, says:—-Captain Berner, Canadian explorer, is satisfiedl he will reach the North Pole. Mr Arthur Steyr is now in the North Land of middle Canada securing dog drivers, who will have charge of Bemier's carrying outfit. Mr Steyr is a man known from one end of Canada to the other as interpreter and traveller, and years of his life have been spent in the North and South. His only companions were a couple of Esquimaux and a half wo'f dog, that takes the place of beast* of burden in the Arctic. He is a Dominion Government surviyor, and played an important part in the Alaska boundary dispute. He understands travelling on the ice thoroughly. Good dog drivers are more than half the secret he said to a press representative. * The best we have come from the barren lands or Northern Canada. The Arctic ice floes are all hummocks, and travelling is of the roughest description, but it can be safely said that the difficulties do not exceed those of the Canadian barren lands, where a piece of level travelling, broad as your hand is hard to find. The drivers I am after are men who know how to get the mosHravelling out of dogs on the least food, how to keep them from injury and fatigue.'" Mr. Steyr wholly disbelieves in killing dogs and feeding them to their companions, as has been done on previous expeditions. A big dash for the Pole will be made with these expert dog drivers, and Mr. Steyr is confident of success. He left to-day for Norway house and other Hudson Bay Company's posts, to get hie men. The drivers of that country are chiefly half-breed Cree and Chippewayan Indians, of Sco'ch end Orkney extraction, broadchested athletes, to whom hardships and exposuro are the bread of life.